Speak To Me
by Fates-Love-Queen
Summary: Life on the streets is hard. To protect her, Bella ran away from home with her little sister. When Tanya gets sick, Bella breaks into a posh house to steal essentials. Edward's house.And he's got a gun. How can she prove herself to him if she can't speak?
1. Introduction

**Drabble War February 2012**

Here is some information on the participating authors and story summaries:

While last month we had twelve authors participate, we have cut it down to a more manageable size and we have **8 AUTHORS**!

If you are interested in participating in a future "War of the Words" then come on over to the Drabble War Forum group on Facebook. In the docs there are sign ups available for every month this year. "Wars" will take place on the middle weekend of each month. It is first come, first serve so come on over and claim your spot. We hope to see new "faces" each month!

The Drabble War Forum is not for authors only…it's also for the readers who want to follow along with the wars. It is a central place to meet and discuss the stories as they are posted. With each round, banners and summaries will be posted in the group as well as links to author profiles.  
>We also have a fanfiction . net community set up with all the 2012 Drabble War stories. fanfiction . net community/ DRABBLE_WARS / 97678/14/0/1/

While we are labeling this a war, please be aware that no official winner will be determined. This is all in good fun…just friendly competition. The real winners are the readers who get 8 new stories each month!

Allow me to introduce the **February **participants:

**CaraNo** - .net/u/2712792/

Title: I Tell Myself  
>Summary: Bella comes to New York when she finds out that her grandmother only has three weeks left to live. While waiting for the nasty old hag to kick the bucket, she kills time in her mom's apartment building. Welcome to the Wisteria Lane of Manhattan. It's only three weeks, I tell myself.<br>Romance with a little humor and drama. Rated M for the usual.

**JA Mash** - .net/u/2888001/JA_Mash

Title: Without A Hitch  
>Summary: When she tries to help a friend, Bella finds herself as an unofficial advice guru, with Edward as her latest project. Things get complicated when she falls for him instead. RomanceHumor Rated M

**Fates-Love-Queen** - .net/u/2022521/  
>Title: Speak To Me<br>Summary: Life on the streets is tough. Even tougher when you have to look after more than yourself. To protect her, Bella ran away from home with her little sister. When Tanya gets sick, Bella breaks into a posh house to steal essentials. Edward's house. And he's got a gun. How can she prove herself to him if she can't speak?  
>DramaAngst with a HEA, I promise. Rated M for the usual.

**Welcome2myworldxoxo** - .net/~welcome2myworldxoxo  
>Title: Sea of Black<br>Summary: Summary: She knew him before she met him, but he would always disappear in a sea of black before she could see him. A story about taking control and finding your place in life. AH ExB. Mature

**BellaEdwardlover1991** - .net/u/1550347/  
>Title: Chances<br>Summary: After tragedy strikes, Bella gets a unique chance. A story told in 50 drabbles. Angst/Hurt/Comfort. Rated M

**Judas Manifesto** - .net/u/2004334/  
>Til the World Ends<br>.net/s/7696866/1/Til_The_World_Ends  
>Summary: The world has ended. Edward has been separated from his wife. When he comes to after an earthquake almost ending mankind, he goes in search for her to find she has joined a dangerous Vampire clan bent on world domination. AU, Post-Apocalyptic, Lemons.<p>

**Twiddler83** - .net/~twiddler83  
>Title: Southern Honey<br>Summary: Moving from Chicago to a small town is a hard pill for Edward to swallow when he's always had a silver spoon in his mouth. His family wanted a change of pace and all he wanted was a plane ticket out of there, until a snarky southern honey becomes the color to his otherwise black and white life.  
>HumorRomance/HEA, AH, Rated M, ExB

**lenidrabbles** - .net/~lenidrabbles

Title:  
>Summary: Part of the Courting Sin series (.:%20courting%20sin), BtVS4AtS1 rewrite.

As Buffy and Angelus make their relationship known and move to L.A., they will find out who is now their enemy and who is friend. The rules have changed, but the game stays the same. Or does it?  
>Warnings for language, violence, and possible character death. Rated R.<p>

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><p><strong>Posting starts in a week but I've also uploaded Chapter 1 as a sneak peek ;)<strong>


	2. Chapter 1

**AN: **Hi Lovelies! This is my first attempt at a drabble so I'm kinda nervous. For those who don't know, a drabble is a story told in short chapters - between 100 and 500 words. It can be longer if needed but not go over 1000 words per chapter.

Some of you may recognise this. I originally wrote this as a short o/s WitFit, but it has been re-written, fixed and extended :)

Warning: This story is a little dark and will contain sensitive subject matter later on. It's angsty but will have a HEA, I promise.

Thanks to Belindella who read through this for me in a pinch and thanks to IlliticWriter who made me an amazing banner! Link is on my profile. Thanks Lovelies!

Okay, here is the first chapter. Hope you likey! :)

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><p><strong><span>EPOV:<span>**

"Edward, did you hear that?" A low voice disturbed my dream.

Something cold pressed on my bare chest and I immediately flinched away with a groan.

"Psst, Edward, wake up, dumbass…"

I jumped as I felt a hand hit my face, and looked up to see my sister Alice hovering above me with a baseball bat.

It was still dark, so I glanced at my bedside clock to see it read four in the morning.

"Alice, what the fuck are you doing?"

"Be quiet and watch your language!" she scolded, as she placed a hand over my mouth, nodding toward my five year old son Anthony, who was looking up at me from the end of my bed.

Alice was only staying because she'd been babysitting Anthony. I'd been the Doctor on call the night before and had been called in un-expectantly for an emergency. Luckily Alice had offered to mind Anthony and had ended up staying the night.

"Why are we whispering? And why are you carrying my bat?" I asked, though it came out muffled as Alice's hand was still firmly clamped over my face.

Alice opened her mouth to answer but she was silenced by the sound of smashing glass.

Anthony gasped and huddled closer to the stuffed rabbit he was clutching in his arms.

That was all it took for my adrenaline kick in. I pried off Alice's fingers and made a run for my gun in the safe at the bottom of my closet.

"Alice, I want you and Anthony to stay here and call 911. I'm going downstairs to see what's going on. Lock the door behind me," I said, as I ejected the clip in my handgun to make sure it was loaded, before reloading it and switching the safety off.

"Edward, we should just wait for the police to arrive," Alice said, but froze as more smashing sounded downstairs.

"Relax, it might be nothing… It could just be a rodent that came in through the chimney. I'm just going to have a look. Now, make sure this door stays locked, do you understand?"

Alice nodded in response as she placed her cell phone to her ear.

I gave my terrified kid a wink of confidence. "You stay here with Aunt Alice, little man, okay?"

Anthony, whose eyes were now wide with fear simply nodded as he latched on to Alice's leg.

"Be careful," Alice whispered as I reached for the door handle.

"Yeah." I winked at her in response as I closed the door behind me and waited until I heard the door lock.

Who or whatever was in my house had made the biggest mistake of their life. No one frightened my family.

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><p>Are we interested? Hope you liked!<p>

Okay, so as I said, posting starts next week. Hopefully see you then!

Thanks for reading. Much Love! Xox


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I'm so sorry Lovelies, but... my drabble won't be finished this weekend. I know, I'm a shit but I've been incredibly sick (ruptured disk in my back and now chest infection) and I just can't write. You have no idea how sorry I am, honestly. I _will_ finish the story but unfortunately it won't be this weekend. I'm _so_ sorry, Lovelies. I hope y'all don't hate me but I understand if you do :(

Thank you so much for your incredibly lovely reviews, alerts and favourites. I replied to most but I read them all. They mean so much. The positive response to this has been overwhelming.

Thanks again to Belindella who read through this and honestly, gave me so much great advice.

Um, I'll probably do daily updates with the few chapters I have so far. Hopefully I can write tonight. Hope you enjoy Xox

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><p><strong>EPOV:<strong>

I descended the stairs slowly, careful to make as little noise as possible.

The sound of crunching glass and opening drawers reached my ears. I raised my gun to my chest.

I was no cop or Olympic shooter, but I had been shooting since I was a teenager, so I knew my way around was comfortable handling a gun. And I was a pretty damn good shot. I'd shoot any and all assholes in my house.

I reached the bottom of the stairs and stilled as I slowly edged my head around the corner. A dark figure was bent over the drawers in the kitchen, seemingly searching frantically for something. Drug money, no doubt; anything of value to sell at a Pawn shop. The figure was slim but in the darkness I couldn't discern whether it was a male or female.

Bracing myself and the gun, I reached over and flipped the kitchen light on. I rounded the corner, and while aiming my gun forward, I watched the figure freeze.

The intruder was _female_!

"What the fuck are you doing in my house, girl?"

Fear widened her sunken brown eyes as she quickly scanned the area like a cornered wild

dog, presumably searching for an exit.

I aimed my gun. "Don't move."

I took a few steps toward and she took the same amount backwards, until her back hit the refrigerator. Under the lights of the kitchen, I stared at the intruder, and was shocked at what I saw – she was so _young_…

Not that I was old by any means, as I was only twenty-five, but this girl couldn't have been a day over nineteen, and that was being generous. She was incredibly thin. Collarbones poking through her thin cotton t-shirt and her cheeks were hollowed. She also had severe dark circles under her eyes. Was she a junkie?

"The police are on their way, so talk. What're you looking for? Drugs? Money?"

She kept looking down at the floor, her messy brown hair acting as a curtain between us.

She looked… innocent. A fluffy bunny looking for the forbidden clover, not the Big Bad

Wolf I'd been expecting. But I wasn't letting my guard down.

"Playing innocent won't get you anywhere."

Her head snapped up as she squatted against the fridge, wrapping her arms around her frail body as she began to tremble. And even though she was the one who had broken in to _my_ house, even though I knew what she was, a tiny part of me felt like an asshole.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Um, I honestly have no idea what to say, other than... Holy shitballs, Batman. I had tears in my eyes reading your reviews. You gals and guys are so amazing. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for your support and well wishes, you have no idea how much they mean to me. I was going to reply but thought you deserved something more, so here is the next chapter. It's actually two melded together to make it longer. I have the best readers on the planet! Seriously. I'm... in awe. Thank you!

Check out the awesomesauce banner IllicitWriter made me here - http : /tinyurl . com/6mbjpz7

Many, many thanks to Belindella who read through this and whipped it into shape. If it weren't for her, Edward would have been much more... sappy, lol. I know a lot of you don't like him right now, but he's just trying to protect his son :) Hope you like and much love Xox

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><p><strong>EPOV:<strong>

I took a step closer but her eyes honed in on the gun, and she began to shake even more.

Mid-step, I stopped.

"Remain non-violent and I won't hurt you," I said as I lowered the gun, watching for any sudden moves.

Even though she looked small and fragile, huddled in my kitchen, it didn't take much energy to pull a trigger or inject a needle full of HIV.

Where the hell were the cops?

"What's your name?" I asked, hoping I could get some information out of her, but her eyes shot to the ground. Her vibrating was vibrating my nerves. Anthony was still terrified in the bedroom, and I wanted this over so I could comfort him.

Frustrated, I tugged my fingers through my hair trying to think of something, _anything_ to say. Maybe, if I offered something of myself, she would reply.

"My name's Edward," I said. She didn't speak but she did make eye contact. Better than nothing…

It was then that I noticed, not only was she clutching a small bag to her chest, but that there were crumbs on the sides of her mouth and on her t-shirt.

Had she broken in simply because she was hungry…?

"Can I ask what's in the bag?"

Her shoulders slumped as she loosened her grip on her bag and tipped its contents onto the floor. Food and medicine. Children's pain relief and cold and flu syrup. Bread, peanut butter, and apples.

"What the…?" How had she missed the Rolex watch and Alice's purse on the counter? "You're really bad at being a thief." Either she was too high to know what she'd been taking or… she _was _some kind of fluffy bunny.

I looked up to find her watching me intently, and I took the moment to study her in return. The long-sleeved tee she was wearing was full of holes. No bra. Her long pants were covered in mud, and her sneakers weren't faring that much better.

What was this poor girl's story? _Curiosity got the cat_, I had to remind myself.

She was still giving me the once over—or rather _tenth_ over—and I glanced down at my bare chest and pajama bottoms.

"Sorry I'm not better dressed for your visit, but you didn't knock on the front door and I didn't have time to put on a shirt."

A hint of a smirk twitched at the corner of her lips, making me feel a bit smug that I could pull that quality of sarcastic humor out at such a time. Jeez, I could be an asshole.

"What's your name?" I asked again.

An unfamiliar emotion passed over her face; shame?

She opened her mouth and brought her hand up to her throat, making a slicing motion back and forth – was she trying to communicate?

She repeated the motion as awareness dawned on me.

"You can't speak?" I asked gently. Tears welled in her eyes as she shook her head.

I had no idea who she was or where she came from – or if she was just a great actress… but something inside me panged with the want to make her safe.


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: OMG you guys! I've just been... blown away by the response to this! I'm seriously speechless! Thanks so much for all of your well wishes, they really do mean so much. I was going to upload this yesterday but ff was fail. I'm feeling a little better today so I'm hoping to get some chapters written *fingers crossed*

Again, many _many_ thanks to Belindella for reading over this and making it so much better. You're awesome Hunny!

But for now, I hope this chapter answers some questions for you. Hope you enjoy! :)

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><p><strong>EPOV:<strong>

She was still trembling, and I wasn't sure if it was from the cold night air or fear. I slowly walked over to one of the bar stools and plucked one of my hoodies from a hook on the back. I crept back to her and held it out.

"Please, take it. Looking at you is making me cold."

Doubt clouded her features; either she thought it was some sort of trick or she was unused to kindness. A pang of sadness pressed my heart at both possibilities.

I nodded and told her it was okay before she hesitantly reached out and took the hoodie from my grasp, quickly wrapping it around her boney frame.

To my shock, she gave me a small smile in thanks.

_"Edward, is everything alright?" _

Shaking my head, I watched as the girl's eyes widened and the shaking resumed and I internally cursed Alice.

"It's okay; I promise that no one will hurt you. Just… don't move, I'll be right back."

I quickly walked to the foot of the stairs to see Alice's head poking out of the bedroom door.

"The police will be here in five minutes. Are you alright? What happened?

"I'm fine, Alice. Everything is fine. I'll be up in a few minutes."

Alice nodded before disappearing behind the door and I heard the lock click back into place.

Turning, I made my way back to the kitchen, wondering what on earth to do with the girl.

My heart clenched uncomfortably at the thought of sending her away, but what else could I do? She couldn't exactly stay here… Could she?

"That was just my sister, everything is…"

I stopped mid sentence as I stared at the empty spot in front of the refrigerator, where the girl had been huddled only a minute before.

I made my way over the broken glass to the back door and looked out into the night; she was gone.

Sighing, I walked back into the kitchen and saw that the hoodie I had lent her was folded neatly on the breakfast bar, along with a scribbled note.

_I'm so sorry, Edward; I never meant to cause any damage._

_My sister is very sick and I couldn't afford her medicine._

_I will find a way to pay you back, I promise. I don't know how, but I will._

_Thank you for your kindness, it meant more than you will ever know._

_I didn't deserve it, yet you gave it to me regardless._

_I really am sorry._

I turned the page searching for a name, but found none.

I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration at the situation. It was completely ridiculous, but I couldn't help but feel strangely empty now that I was no longer in her presence. It was odd that I had only just met her, but had felt oddly protective of her.

I sighed as I read over her letter again, a small smile playing on my lips.

At least she would come back. Not that I wanted her money, but I didn't see her as the type to break a promise.

Yes, the mystery girl would be back, hopefully sooner than later...

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><p>We all know who she is, right? ;)<p>

Thanks for reading Lovelies. I should have the next chapter up soon. Thanks for reading. Much love Xox.


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